Not a Kirk or a Cathy Road Trip - This post is part of an ed (from Yuma) Road Trip. Buckle up and enjoy!
It was time for Tina and I to head off on vacation, ultimately arriving in Monterey for a few days. San Gabriel Valley, fortunately for us, is about midway between Yuma and the cool breezes of the Monterey Peninsula. We arrived in Rosemead armed with some recommendations from Kirk for Chinese seafood. At the top of the list was Sea Harbour:
(sorry about the drive-by shot)
When we arrived hungry for our 6 p.m. reservation, the stylish restaurant was largely empty, though its numerous fish tanks looked ready for customers:
The first item to hit our table was a complementary seaweed salad. It was nothing spectacular, but it was a nice and refreshing way to begin the meal:
When we made reservations, I had inquired about corkage fees and was told that I was welcome to bring my own wine for the modest charge of $10. I was happy to learn this as we had come over from Yuma with a special bottle in our ice chest. After I handed the Chalone Chardonnay to a server, it soon reappeared with adequate stemware and a chilled ice bucket. The servers kept our glasses properly filled throughout the meal:
Unusually for a Chinese restaurant, our meal was served European style, in courses. First arrived two abalones ($15 each) taken fresh from a tank. Each was prepared in a different style. This one was covered in a slightly sweet soy-based sauce, somewhat resembling a teriyaki sauce:
The shellfish was very tender and flavorful. We cut it into small enough pieces so that we could savor each bite; after all, it had been years since I had eaten cooked fresh abalone, and I wanted the maximum number of bites for $15.
As good as that abalone was, both Tina and I preferred the second one:
Here the saucing was much simpler — basically just garlic. But that was really all the abalone needed in my mind. It was really good!
The next course represented the only slight glitch in the entire meal. I was hoping for some unusual vegetable, but didn't see anything especially exotic on the menu, so I asked if there was some special vegetable that evening. The waiter said that, indeed, they had a fresh seasonal vegetable, so I ordered it. Like a salad course, it arrived before the major entrée:
There was nothing wrong with this order of Chinese greens ($12) at all. As the waiter said, they were incredibly fresh and arrived steaming at the table. The simple preparation showed off the their goodness and impeccable freshness. The only glitch for us was that we had had this very same choi sum at least twice in the previous two weeks at Yummy Yummy. While the vegetable in Yuma was not as fresh as it was at Sea Harbour, I had had hopes for some thing more different.
Our main dish that evening was steamed whole red cod, taken from a tank and as fresh as could be ($36 for about 1 1/2 lbs):
This was a beautiful fish, steamed to perfection and presented with a light tangy soy based sauce. Unfortunately, my picture does not do justice to this outstanding entrée because the server was waiting next to our table for me to take pictures before he removed the spine and attached bones, and I felt bad for keeping him standing there.
Now is as good a time as any to mention the wonderful and attentive service. Some online postings at various websites indicate that the service at Sea Harbour is perfunctory and almost rude. Perhaps that is the case when the restaurant is serving its popular dim sum, but Tina and I were treated exceptionally well throughout our meal. While thoroughly professional, all of the servers were friendly. They answered my questions with a smile and generally provided helpful advice. I can't recall better service at another Chinese restaurant.
Now back to the food. I just want to share one close up of the fish flesh on my plate:
The taste of the red cod was every bit as moist and tender as it looks in this photo. Each mildly fishy bite melted away on the tongue. It was so good that we consumed everything — cheeks, brains, eyeballs, skin, and anything else we could scrape off the bones.
We were then each brought a complementary bean porridge, which was lightly sweet and slightly savory:
I thought that was going to be the conclusion of the meal, but Tina and I both were then given these two desserts:
I have no expertise whatsoever with Chinese desserts, but these did taste good and provided an attractive ending for the meal. Thanks Kirk for the rec! The place is definitely yo-so delicioso!
Sea Harbour, 3939 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, 626-288-3939